Give Thanks

 Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude. I know I talk about this a lot, but that is because practicing gratitude is the easiest, strongest way to change your situation, get you out of a victim mentality, and allow you to see all that you have standing right in front of you. Gratitude for what you have opens doorways to more than you could ever imagine for yourself. Not everyone celebrates the holiday, but being tomorrow is Thanksgiving, today felt like the opportune time to discuss gratitude again. We have ten weeks left on our journey together, and now that you are understanding the work and the lessons, showing gratitude for what you have and how far you have come will help you get to the next level. Whenever I am feeling stuck, I start the process again and give thanks for what is around me.

The end of the year is also a great time to give thanks, because the end of the year is when you will start to feel like you are being tested – and that is because you are. God, The Universe, whatever you see as your Higher Power, wants to know that you are heading in the right direction. You are being held accountable for what you asked for. Are you showing appreciation for what showed up for you? Have you learned your lessons or is your stubborn butt still doing things the same way as you always have and expecting different results? Are you running the show or is it your ego? Are you grateful or are you complaining about what hasn’t changed? Are you in charge of your life or handing over your power to someone else? The Universe wants to see that you are in control or come the New Year your life will go on repeat, and you will be learning the same lessons as before. New doors can’t open until you close the old ones. New lessons, new situations, new people, new love, new scenarios can’t enter your life until you learn the lessons, leave the past in the past, and show you are ready for a new chapter. Clinging to a past and ways of living that no longer serve you creates a block to move forward. Blocks are illusions set on your path for you to work your way through. Learning the lessons, practicing self-love and showing gratitude is what helps to remove those blocks. Once you learn the lesson your perception changes and the blocks will disappear.

I always find that when I am feeling stuck in that place, showing gratitude for what I already have gives me that nudge to get out of my own head and keep going. You cannot be in a negative place while showing gratitude, so is always the best way to pull yourself out of a negative mindset. Whether you believe in God or not, you can see with your own eyes how people can have everything and lose it in a moment. You can see how someone has everything they ever wished for standing right in front of them, but they can’t see it or accept that it is really for them. Knowing that you are deserving of what you have and what is being offered raises your vibration to a positive place of receiving more. Practicing gratitude gets you to that place of receiving more. I am at a point right now, where I know that I don’t have everything in life that I want, but I am sitting in my apartment right now typing on my computer and know for a fact that if I don’t appreciate and be grateful for this milestone I just reached, then I risk it being taken away. Blessings and gifts show up for us every day, and it is our job to accept those gifts and show gratitude for them. Once you allow your ego and negativity to take over, those gifts and blessings will be taken away and eventually doors will close, and blessings will no longer show up for you. Free will is one thing we do have on this earth, and how we choose to live our life is always our choice. Showing gratitude is a choice and one that comes with so many positive results.

Tomorrow and for the next few days, take a moment to give thanks and be grateful for where you are and all the lessons you have learned. Then take another moment to look around and see who and what is in your life. Ask yourself if this is what you want, is this where you want to be, are you heading in the right direction for where you want to go. Then make a promise to yourself that you will make changes where needed, you will honor who you are by practicing self-love and by practicing gratitude. Look forward to the New Year with nothing but positivity knowing that you have a plan and trusting that The Universe will always have your back. I know from experience that is always the truth if you are giving thanks for what you already have and having faith and trust in where you want to go.

Have a wonderful day tomorrow. I am grateful for all of you.

In love and light,

Fran

 

Reflection

We have completed nine months on our journey together and have three months left. I know a lot of us are starting new jobs, finding new places to live, ending relationships, starting new ones, or just on a pause while trying to figure things out. Today is the first day in months I’m not bouncing around, and you can see the backseat of my car. I finished moving everything out of storage before work yesterday, and I am waking up today finally feeling settled. I do have a few more things to do, but I have a place to call home and creating a safe space for myself so that I can continue moving forward. Thank you to everyone who opened their homes and their hearts to me the past few months while I made this transition - you have no idea how deep down my gratitude goes.

I thought today would be the perfect time for us to reflect on the past forty blogs before really jumping into the last stretch of our journey together. Sometimes just taking a moment to see how far we have come or revisit a lesson from the past helps to give us focus on where we would like to go. The lesson is to make a plan for the future but stay grounded in the present. I know this is what I need at this moment and maybe you will gather some insight if you do the same. Remember to practice gratitude today for how far you have come and for the unknown of where you are going. Let trust and faith be your guide and allow your strength and intuition to shine through.

I did a reflection blog back when we were at the halfway mark, and I am going to post a few of those paragraphs below. The words will still hold true for those of you who made a commitment and are reading weekly and doing the work. Reflecting back is very important especially when you are so focused on change. I want you to take that moment of reflection so you can see how far you have come; I am sure your life looks a little different and feels a little different from when we first started.

Remember when you look back that even small changes are big changes. I will put a list of the previous blogs in order so you can see if there are any titles that jump off the page and maybe a sign that you would like to re-read that one again. You can go to the archives on the right of the page and click on those links to view a previous blog. I know this is a hard journey and we must keep our eyes forward, but every now and again you must look back and see and be proud of how much work you have done. Be kind to yourself and give yourself praise and credit where it is due, practice your self-love. Sometimes when you are caught up in your journey and your changes, it’s hard to see that. You are in a healing bubble and sometimes life just feels hard. That is why I want you to take this week to look back. Have you changed any habits, brought on new ones, eating better, taking more time for yourself, journaling, thinking things through instead of reacting, any little changes that have been helping you move forward. Have you noticed that you want to be more creative? Have you taken on a new hobby, are you walking or exercising? Do a check-in with yourself and see what changes you have made and the ones you would still like to make. I know for myself I have been wanting to start going to the gym. I still haven’t made it there, but I am still always thinking and talking about it. I know it’s just a block that I must work my way through. Usually, blocks are put there because once you break through them, you level up in a way and then new doors open for you. You gain new confidence and look better and feel better about yourself. This is the momentum of change. Sometimes we are stuck and have a fear of change, or maybe just taking a rest before making the next move, so keep an eye on yourself and trust your intuition to know the difference.

When you start feeling that momentum of change, sometimes it feels so fast and like you are now on a ride and you can’t get off. This is the moment that it is important to trust and go with the flow. Your life is now moving in the direction it’s supposed to be, and many changes are taking place, so it feels very fast. You will start to feel anxious wanting to tell yell wait, wait, I wasn’t ready for this, but be confident and know that you are. You are healing many things about your life so it must happen quickly and all at once or else you would be spending decades trying to heal and move forward. Trust the process knowing that you are the one who activated these changes for yourself. Be confident that you can handle this and one day you will look back on these moments and see clearly that these moments are where you find your strength.




In love and light,

Fran



List of previous blogs to reflect back on:

Blog 1: Out of Darkness

Blog 2: The Journey Begins

Blog 3: Ready for Change

Blog 4: Let it Go (Journaling)

Blog 5: Baby Steps

Blog 6: Self-Care of Your Body

Blog 7: Chained to Your Past

Blog 8: Love vs Darkness

Blog 9: A Spiritual Life

Blog 10: Self-Care of Your Mind

Blog 11: Your Inner Child

Blog 12: Self-Love

Blog 13: Healing Thru Prayer

Blog 14: Being Present

Blog 15: Obstacles

Blog 16: Build a Routine

Blog 17: The In-Between

Blog 18: Level Up

Blog 19: Gratitude

Blog 20: De-Clutter Your Life

Blog 21: Manifest the Life You Want

Blog 22: You Got This

Blog 23: Signs from Above

Blog 24: Trust Your Intuition

Blog 25: A Reason, A Season, For Life

Blog 26: Reflection

Blog 27: Unleash Your Creativity

Blog 28: Change is Here

Blog 29: Relax and Just Breathe

Blog 30: Pause

Blog 31: Find Your Safe Space

Blog 32: One Day at a Time

Blog 33: Seasons of Change

Blog 34: Living in the Moment

Blog 35: Boundaries

Blog 36: Creating a New Life

Blog 37: Choices

Blog 38: Go With the Flow

Blog 39: Positive vs Negative

Blog 40: A New Life 

A New Life

We are at week 40 and nine months in, so I thought A New Life would be a good title for this blog. It also happens to be the time I have started a new job and after bouncing around for the past few months, finally found a place to call home. I never imagined how long it would take me to get settled, and I mean really settled. I spent thirty years in Florida, so finding my fit here and my peeps outside of my peeps and a place to work and a place to live that I can call home has been a struggle. A good struggle, but still a challenge. I moved back up north two years ago this month, and this week saying I am beginning a new life again seems like an understatement. New job and new home in the same week can seem a little overwhelming, but I asked for change, and I got it. I have used the new life analogy before when referring to the changes I have been making the past few years. It takes nine months to create a new life, and the steps for major changes I have been making for myself seem to be in nine-month increments. Crazy how that works out … or is it lol. You know by now that I believe everything happens for a reason, there are no coincidences, and there is a Divine plan and timing set in place for all of us.

When I first began writing this blog nine months ago, I mentioned that I was excited to see where this next year would take me. The changes have been incredible, and I can tell that everything I give out in my blog I do get back. I share information every week in the hopes that it will help all of you, and then in turn I have been receiving information from others that help me too. The cycle of getting back what you put out is amazing when you can see it in play. I have seen signs all the time that we are all connected and never really alone, which does help me in the times of change when I do feel very alone. I do believe that certain experiences we must go through alone because those are where the hard lessons lie. The Universe keeps us isolated, so we are only relying on ourselves. The distractions and people we rely on are taken away so that we have no distractions and are forced to learn what we came here to learn and experience. It is a hard pill to swallow sometimes when you are knee deep in it, but seeing the signs and synchronicities around does make it easier to handle.

I have mentioned before that I know I spend way too much time taking photos of the sky, but it is something I love to do. It started out as something I did for a friend when I first moved here two years ago to show him how much I loved being here and is something that just stuck and I still do it almost every day. The photo I used for this week’s blog I took the other day while moving into my new place. I see it as the most beautiful sign that we are never alone and there is love and light all around us. I can’t explain what is on the other side, and there is no proof that angels and guides exist, but on more than one occasion I have caught it on film and reminds me to quiet my doubts and have faith. You would think after a lifetime of having experiences like this that are considered out of the ordinary, I would never have any doubts – but I still do. The normalcy of living a physical life sometimes can cloud over the spiritual part of life that I rely on to get by. Sometimes they contradict each other and that is where you learn to trust your intuition and what you know to be true. The other day while trying to catch the sky and the sun through my blinds I was reminded of the beauty around us and to stay strong in my beliefs and to keep going. Keep being a good person when times are tough, stay strong through the hard times and remember that there is a bigger plan in place even though I can’t see it. Trust and faith must be what I rely on to get me through when I am on my own and have no idea where I am going. The most important thing is to just show up every day knowing there is a force outside of myself that always has my back.

I know that many of you are going through the same changes as I am right now (yes, another sign we are all connected). Change can be scary, but new jobs, new places to live, new relationships, these are all the best parts of life. We may be releasing parts of our past but move forward knowing it’s ok. Detach in love and be grateful for the people and the experiences and what they taught you. Everyone who we encounter is a teacher. They teach us what we love and don’t love about our situations and about ourselves, and we learn to change. We are guided to be better, to do better. They say that life isn’t about time, but about the lessons learned. We can start a new life over and over again until we get it right. We listen for guidance knowing it is out there for us. The past and all the experiences, both good and bad, are who we are. We embrace the journey, we embrace the healing, and we move forward knowing the best is yet to come.


In love and light,

Fran

Positive vs Negative

Be a proton.

I was talking with a coworker a few weeks ago about being around positive and negative people at work, and he made that statement. I loved it because it simplified and described exactly what we are trying to do here. Be a proton, not a neutron.

When we are talking about changing our life, we are always trying to stay positive, be positive, and trying to learn to look at the glass half full. We do this because we are trying to undo a life of toxicity and negativity. We were surrounded by darkness, and it became our normal. What we sometimes don’t realize, is it's important to stay positive because we are all connected, and our energy affects everyone around us. Our energy affects our friends, families, coworkers, people we meet at the store, and every single person we encounter throughout our day. We carry our energy around with us and exchange it with everyone. When you are trying to heal it is very important that you give out positive energy because that is what you are trying to get back. We are learning to be the light and the positive force and exchange that willingly. We are also learning to stay grounded in that light and not let negativity swoop in and try and steal it.

When you are new to healing it is very easy to let those around you still influence your thoughts and actions. Their moods are our moods, their troubles are our troubles, and eventually we lose ourselves to a life of manipulation. We are so out of sync with our own feelings and our own desires, that we don’t realize we are being manipulated. We are not in control, darkness is. There are the people who thrive on negativity and manipulating people, and there are those of us who have lost our light and living in negativity allowing ourselves to be manipulated. Once you are moving along on your healing journey you will be able to see the difference. You will become so strong in your light and positivity that darkness doesn’t have a chance. Think of a dark room, once you turn that light on you can see everything.

I always describe that moment as feeling like you took off a pair of sunglasses and now you can see. That moment usually comes with a lot of oh wow what have I done feelings. You didn’t realize how lost in darkness you were; you didn’t realize the level of manipulation and losing yourself, and you understand that change needs to happen. Some refer to this as an awakening because once you have hit this moment, there is no going back. The darkness that once fit you like a glove feels uncomfortable. The old ways of doing things don’t work. People who have been in your life for a long time no longer fit. There is a new you (the old you) waiting to be reignited. The only way forward is living a life of positivity and light so darkness can be removed. Your journey begins right here at this moment.

When you don’t take control of your past and stay in those negative feelings that’s when you become a neutron. You stay the same with no growth. A very negative person on the outside who has no idea the darkness and uncomfortable feelings they are projecting out onto the world around them. Everything is an issue, everything is a problem, they are angry and negative and want everyone to be as miserable as they are. But then you have the people who want to move away from that. They want to find their joy, their happiness, and they want to find their light again. The negativity makes them feel uncomfortable, so they are seeking a new way of living. Those are the people who are showing up in a new way, and they are doing the work every day. Those are the people like us.

The best advice I have to help stay on your new path is to seek out everything positive and stay away from everything negative. That is a very hard thing to do considering the world we live in right now, but it can be done. We are surrounded by gossip and negative news, greed and shady ways of living, so you have to learn to walk away. You must learn to be comfortable in your own skin. You must learn to trust yourself and your intuition that your way is the right way. I always say that if you are coming from a good place and a positive place then you can’t go wrong. When you have others’ feelings and well-being in mind then you can’t go wrong. When it becomes self-serving that is when you know you are headed in the wrong direction. When it is out of revenge or spite steer clear. Things like that may feel good in the moment, for a second, but your healing conscience will soon take over and realize what a mistake that was. While you go about your day be a good person, be a positive person, and on days you can’t just be your best. When you are at a loss of how to be your best, just give a stranger a smile - it works every time. The lesson is to work through your issues without feeling the need to throw that negativity at everyone in your path. They don’t deserve that the same way you didn’t. Work through it knowing that there is a very bright light at the end of that dark tunnel.

This journey can sometimes feel like the rockiest road you have ever been on. Three steps forward, two steps back. Tests, lessons, fear, doubt, everything on that healing path will try and take you off because the only way forward is finding the light within yourself. Self-love and self-confidence are where your true light and strength lie. The light lives inside, and it is your job to shine it outward. Be a light for yourself, be a light for others. This is the way to change the level and the vibration of your existence. Be positive. Be a proton.


In love and light,

Fran